Touring Hungary’s Danube Bend

As much as we love exploring Europe’s beautiful cities, we also enjoy seeing the countryside of this diverse little continent. That’s why I jumped at the chance to take a tour of the Danube Bend, while on my recent trip to Budapest, Hungary.

My travel companion, Jenn, and I had spent four packed days in Budapest, seeing the Danube from every angle. On our final full day in Hungary, we would drive along it to arguably its most beautiful point – The Danube Bend.

At 10am, we were picked up at our apartment, by Daniel, our driver and tour guide for the day. Our tour with Daniel was organised by Budapesting.com, the apartment rental company that hosted our stay in Budapest. In addition to budget accommodations in Budapest, they offer a variety of tours in Hungary.

Driving Along Hungary’s Danube River

As we drove out of the city, gradually the large apartment buildings gave way to colourful villas with tidy gardens. Huge box stores gave way to small shops and the landscape softened into fields of produce and tangled forests. Soon we caught sight of the Danube River once again.

The Danube is Europe’s second longest river, after the Volga. It begins in Germany’s Black Forest and winds its way through ten countries before emptying into the Black Sea. This powerful river flows through four European capital cities, more capitals than any other river in the world.

The Danube Bend is the point where the Borzsony Mountains force the river to change its easterly course and head south to Budapest. The S-shaped bend was the ultimate destination for our day-trip.

Visiting Esztergom Basilica

Our first stop along the Danube took us to Esztergom, 60km north of Budapest. One of the country’s oldest towns, this important city was the capital of Hungary from the 10th-13th century. These days it is the seat of the primate of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. It is also home to Hungary’s largest church, Esztergom Basilica.

The imposing exterior of Esztergom Basilica

The Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and St Adalbert is the official title of (the much easier to say) Esztergom Basilica. The church is the tallest building in Hungary and the 18th largest church in the world.

The stunning interior of Estergom Basilica

The church’s builders must have believed that bigger is better. The altarpiece, by Michelangelo Grigoletti, is the world’s largest painting, on a single canvas. The organ is also Hungary’s largest and the third largest in Europe.

Normally I wait until people walk out of my photos, but I loved how these two visitors show the scale of the enormous dome.

Climbing to Visegrád Castle

Our next stop took us back in time to Visegrád, on the Danube Bend. This small village is famous for Visegrád Castle, the summer residence of King Matthias Corvinus, during the 1400s.

It is easy to see why Visegrád Castle was an important fortification, from its construction in 1240, until the Turkish damaged it, in 1685. From the castle is an unimpeded view of the Danube Bend and the surrounding hillsides.

What a view! Looking out over the Danube Bend from Visegrád Castle.

It’s a long hike up to the Upper Castle, with over 300 stairs. However, the view from the top is breath-taking.

It’s a long way up, but it’s worth it for the view.

While there are some small displays of armour and historical objects inside the remains of the castle, all of the documentation is only in Hungarian so make the trip with this in mind.

At Home on Szentendre Island

From Visegrád Castle, we began our trip back towards Budapest. Daniel turned out to be the perfect person to guide us on our tour of the Danube River because, these days, he lives in the middle of it.

Daniel’s home is on Szentendre Island, a 31km long island in the middle of the Danube River. The island has four main villages and is reached by bridge at Tahi or ferry, from multiple places.

Daniel took us across the bridge and to his home, to meet his lovely German Shepherd and to stuff us full of Hungary’s best watermelon, which had just come into season as we visited. We left the peaceful, rural island, via ferry to our final destination, Szentendre.

Strolling through Szentendre

Szentendre, or Saint Andrew in English, is a picturesque little town and a popular tourist destination from Budapest. The town was settled by Germans, Serbians, Slovaks, Turks and Bulgarians and as such is known by a variety of different names.

It is filled with souvenir shops, artists, a handful of small museums and seven churches. It is a great place to stroll or grab a bite to eat at one of the numerous cafes overlooking the Danube.

Strolling through Szentendre, Hungary

After a full day of sight-seeing along the Danube River, we were happy to be delivered back to our Budapesting Apartment for a quick nap, before another great night on the town in Budapest.

Click play below for a zippy little map of our travels. (Or use this link)

Stay tuned for more of our Budapest adventures, coming up on CheeseWeb.

Alison Cornford-Matheson is a Canadian freelance writer and travel photographer and the founder of Cheeseweb.eu. She is the author of The Foodie Guide to Brussels: Local Tips for Restaurants, Shops, Hotels, and Activities. Alison landed in Belgium in 2005 and, over the years, has become passionate about slow and sustainable travel, in Europe and beyond. She loves to discover hidden gems - be they museums, shops, restaurants, castles, gardens or landscapes, and share them through her words and photos. She has visited 45 countries and is currently slow travelling through North America in an RV, with her husband, Andrew, and two well-travelled cats. You can also follow her work on Google+

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We are Canadians, Alison & Andrew, and we are slow travelling the world – with our cats. We believe every destination has a story to tell and that the journey truly is the destination. We travel slow – because everywhere is somewhere. read more...